Tonbridge boys impress at Mission Discovery

Two Tonbridge boys took part in designing experiments which could be carried out by astronauts on board the International Space Station.

Jack Dalton (FH5) and Peter Kingston (OH5) competed in Mission Discovery, a week-long event at King’s College London in which teams worked with NASA astronauts, rocket scientists and engineers. 

Students had to come up with ideas for a science experiment, with the best proposal being launched into space next year. Their experiments had to be innovative, safe and able to fit into a small box measuring just 10cm x 10cm x 5cm. 

Supported by retired NASA astronaut and Shuttle pilot Toni Antonelli, and teams of King’s College postgraduate students, teams took part in several activities in order to refine their ideas, before delivering a final presentation to competition judges.

Both Jack and Peter impressed with their input before Jack’s team were named the winners. This entry was a design which used light emitted from genetically modified yeast to measure the latter’s reproductive rate in micro gravity. The winning experiment will be flown to the International Space Station and carried out in the coming months.

Dr Bill Burnett, Head of Science at Tonbridge School, said: “I found the most exciting aspect of the competition to be the innovation training, which helped the boys to apply what they already knew in order to solve real problems. This is exactly the kind of learning we seek to promote at Tonbridge.”

The Mission Discovery event included the opportunity for participants to learn about a variety of areas of space research, such as how the body adapts to weightlessness and the benefits to the planet of conducting experiments in space.

Pictured: The winning team at Mission Discovery.